Last Conversation Dana Air Pilots had With the Air Traffic Controllers

Good day!” These were the last two words the courageous pilot told air traffic controllers before the Dana Air flight 0992 crashed into a residential building in Iju-Ishaga, Lagos, killing all the 153 people on board and 10 people on ground on Sunday, June 3, 2012.

The transcription of the last conversation between the air traffic controller and the crew revealed that the pilots did everything to land the aircraft safely on Runway 18 Right of the Murtala Muhammed Airport.
The recording, a copy of which was obtained exclusively from a top official of the Ministry of Aviation on Monday by our correspondent, showed that the flight crew did not lose hope even up till the last second before the aircraft crashed.

The crew had believed the aircraft would make it to Runway 18R of the Lagos airport.
The transcription revealed that the aircraft had indeed lost its two engines, shortly after which the pilot declared an emergency.

This revelation is, however, contrary to the view of Dana Air’s Director of Flight Operations, Captain Oscar Wason, who had said it would be premature to conclude that aircraft lost its two engines.
Wason claimed that there was nothing to indicate that the pilot told the air traffic controller that the two engines of the aircraft had been lost.

The transcription revealed that the pilot told the controller he had “dual engine failure.”
Apart from having dual engine failure, the pilot also told the air traffic controller that he had “negative response from the throttle.”

Overall, the transcription revealed that the airplane was in a very devastating condition.
This explains why it was said to have descended very fast shortly after the pilot declared emergency, saying, “May Day, May Day”

Air traffic controllers, who spoke to our correspondent under condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to comment on the matter, confirmed that the aircraft descended very fast.
The video recording of the radar also revealed that the aircraft pilot declared emergency at about 5,000 feet above the sea level.

It further revealed that the ill-fated Boeing McDonell Douglass-83 plane disappeared from the radar at about 800 feet above the sea level.

The recording, however, confirmed Wason’s claim that the pilot of the ill-fated plane never spoke with air traffic controllers in the Control Tower.
Rather, the pilot spoke with ATCs in the radar control room of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, which is also located at the airport.

The recording also revealed that the pilot was handed over to the ATCs in the Control Tower, but he never had a chance to speak with them before the crash.
From the recording, the last words the pilot told the radar control unit was, “1181, good day,” in response to some information he had received from the ATC on duty.

The ATC had told him to contact the Control Tower on frequency 1181. The pilot, who had declared emergency to the ATCs in the radar control room, replied, “1181 good day,” meaning he had got the information.

According to ATCs, “good day” is the usual parlance they and pilots use in signing off from a conversation.
From his accent, it was obvious he was the Indian co-pilot, Mr. Mahendra Roathore, who spoke with the ATCs during the last minutes of the tragic flight.
The pilot, an American, Captain Peter Waxtan, was said to have been busy, struggling to keep the aircraft in flight, while the co-pilot spoke with the ATCs.

Below is the word-for-word account of the conversation between the crew of the ill-fated plane and the ATC on duty.
Co-pilot: “Lagos Tower, Dana code 0992!”
ATC: “Dana Code 0992, this is Lagos radar, go ahead!”
Co-pilot: “May Day! May Day! May Day! Dana code 0992 Five November Romeo Alpha Mike! (5N-RAM) dual engine failure!”
ATC: “Dana Code 0992, read me?”
Co-pilot: “I read you five by five! Dual engine failure! Negative response from throttle! Requesting for direct straight approach!”
ATC: “Alright, position it one mile to touch down, Runway 18R! Contact tower now on 1181!”
Co-pilot: “1181 Good day!”
Unfortunately, the crew never spoke with the control tower. The aircraft crashed into the residential building a few seconds after this discussion.

Source : Punch NG 

'Unfit Air Nigeria planes' cleared for travel

Former finance director says engineers under commercial pressure to certify dangerous aircraft for flight.

Air Nigeria, the national carrier and second-largest airline of the West African nation, has been grounded for safety checks.

The move comes days after one of the country's worst air crashes resulted in the deaths of all 153 people on board.

Thousands of Air Nigeria passengers are now left stranded as rumours of financial troubles and an engineers' strike adds to the challenges facing the carrier.
The most damning claims, however, come from John Nnorom, former finance director, who says the airline's engineers are under commercial pressure to certify unfit aircraft for travel.

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/africa/2012/06/201261319512906281.html

Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege reports from Abuja.

NCAA Clears Air Nigeria

...Launches Rome, Paris operations  By Chinedu Eze (Thisday Newspaper)

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has cleared national flag carrier, Air Nigeria, for domestic and

regional flight operations following a satisfactory audit of its fleet.

According to a letter dated June 12, 2012 with the reference number: NCAA/ DAWS.002/12/VOL.1/149, sent to the Managing Director, Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) by the Direc- tor, Airworthiness Standards, NCAA, Mr. Patrick Ekunwe, the agency was directed to clear all Air Nigeria aircraft for flight operations.

The letter titled, “Domestic and Regional Flight operations of Air Nigeria”, reads in part, “Please be informed that Air Nigeria has been cleared by Nigerian Civil Aviation Au- thority to resume its normal domestic and regional flight operations. Please grant them the necessary flight clearances accordingly.”

Commenting on the develop- ment at a news conference yes- terday in Lagos, the Chairman, Air Nigeria, Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim, stressed that the airline was in full compliance with all the international standards on safety regulations.

He explained that it was normal for NCAA to recertify the aircraft of the airline after some of its local staff went on strike.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim announced that the airline was expecting another large body aircraft, Airbus A330=200 which would kick off its operations from Lagos to Rome and to Paris, disclosing that the Federal Government has given approval for the airline to operate the routes

Six Years After, Sosoliso Plane Crash Blamed on Power Failure

By Steve Dada, Chiemelie Ezeobi in Lagos and Dele Ogbodo in Abuja (Thisday Newspapers)

Six years after the Sosoliso plane crash in Port Harcourt, killing over 100 passengers, most of them children,

facts emerged yesterday that power failure at the Port Harcourt Airport was responsible for the accident.

Although the Federal Government is yet to make public the report of the panel that investigated the crash,

the pioneer Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Mr.

Angus Ifeanyi Ozoka, who headed the investigative panel, said at the point of landing, the pilot lost sight of

the runway because there was no diesel to power the generator for the runway lights.

Ozoka, who spoke with reporters in Abuja on how to improve safety in the aviation industry against the

backdrop of the June 3 plane crash involving Dana Air, said: “From the way we concluded our report after

several months of investigations, the aircraft was coming to land, it didn’t have the runway in sight.

“It couldn’t see the runway as it was raining very heavily.  The runway lights were not on because at the Port

Harcourt Airport they were trying to save fuel.

“In the day time, they would switch off the generator, if there was no electricity and at night they would not

switch on the generator except a pilot requested when he was approaching.

“So when the plane was at 8 nautical miles from the airport, it called and asked if it was raining, they told

him no precipitation, they gave him the wind direction and speed, until the plane got to the decision altitude

and went below it.”

He added that by the time the Sosoliso plane was approaching for landing, the wind direction suddenly

changed dramatically, becoming heavier with associated wind shear activity; as such, the strength of the wind

forced the plane to slam into the ground.

“The plane crashed on the grass side and disintegrated into a total wreckage site of 1.2 kilometres.

“First, the plane touched the ground, then it bounced into an exposed concrete drainage where the number

two engine and staircase were dislodged in that concrete and started disintegrating into pieces, with total

land wreckage of 1.2km. In that situation, it was difficult to fight a fire over a spread of 1.2km,” he said.

Ozoka said government through Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should set strict conditions for

all airline operators in the country to meet and those who cannot do so should be allowed to wind up.

According to him, government is not Father Christmas that operators should run to for bailouts, adding that

anybody who wants to venture into the aviation industry should know that the industry is both capital and

labour intensive.

He suggested that government’s 22-year-age limit for entry of aircraft into the country should be revisited as

any aircraft above 20 years is presumed to be operating above the life cycle of that aircraft.

However, he said with good maintenance, some aircraft could still be kept airborne for over 25 years before

they are retired.

Meanwhile, relatives of the Dana Air plane crash are still having trouble claiming the bodies of their loved

ones at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

Some of the relations of the victims who were seen yesterday wailing and agonising over their inability to

claim the bodies, accused LASUTH officials of playing pranks.

The hospital officials are insisting that it will not release more bodies until all DNA tests have been concluded

and results released to ensure that no family is given the wrong body.

A woman was seen at the mortuary wailing as she lamented the endless bottlenecks that had prevented her

from collecting the body of her relative.

 

Africa Travel Association’s hallmark international event

By Linda

Created 06/08/2012 - 9:33am

Topic:

Delegates address growth of African tourism

Source:

Africa Travel Association

Article Image Description:

Cultural Night at ATA Annual World Congress / Image via Africa Travel Association

The Africa Travel Association, the world’s leading travel industry trade association promoting tourism to Africa, held its 37th Annual Congress in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, May 18-22, 2012. More than 500 delegates from government, business, and the non-profit sectors gathered at ATA’s hallmark event in Africa.
The theme, “Africa Tourism: Partnering for the Future,” focused on how tourism, with growth rates in emerging markets outperforming more established destinations, is one of the most promising industries on the African continent for development. South African Airways served as Presenting Sponsor and Official Congress Carrier, and Arik Air served as Official Media Carrier.

“Our 37th Congress has been a real success with significant outcomes that will have a positive impact on the tourism industry in Zimbabwe and across Africa,” said Edward Bergman, ATA Executive Director, “Now more than ever, the tourism industry has a greater ability to affect lives and contribute to positive growth and development, and ATA is pleased to be at the heart of this process.”
Delegates included five tourism ministers from Central African Republic, Ghana, Namibia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, along with government representatives from Angola, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Togo, and Zambia, and hundreds of participants from around the world.
The Congress was hosted by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) under the auspices of the Honorable Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Walter Mzembi. ATA government members elected Minister Mzembi as the new President of the association at the ATA board meeting on the final day of the congress.

ZIMBABWE IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS
On the first day of the congress, Ambassador of the USA to Zimbabwe, Charles A. Ray, conveyed that “Zimbabwe is open for business.” He said that US business representatives were coming to Zimbabwe because the economy was growing, and trade and investment links between the two countries were improving.
Speaking about the importance of building better cooperation and understanding between the USA and Zimbabwe, the Ambassador said, “Zimbabwe, even with its political uncertainty, represents a potentially huge market for Americans… it has the highest literacy rate in sub-Saharan Africa, and a population that when opportunities are available, they’re very hard working and very organized and get things done.”
In an interview with one of the congress media delegates, Ambassador Ray said, “You have to look at what’s going on, on the ground, in order to understand the reality. There is a gap between the perceived risk here and the real risk. The real risk, in most cases, is far less than the perceived risk caused by the image the country has.”

Building on these themes, a special congress session, featuring Ambassador Ray and US Ambassador to Zambia, Mark C. Storella, was held on the second to last day of the congress. The two Ambassadors spoke about prospects for US trade and investment in the tourism sector in the neighboring countries, along with the role the US embassies play in improving relations and facilitating exchanges.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
The Congress kicked off with ATA's third annual Young Professionals Program Forum at the Elephant Hills Hotel. Students, young professionals and industry leaders from the tourism and hospitality sector came together to discuss the most pressing issues for young professionals in the industry. Topics included harnessing social media to promote African tourism, rural tourism development, and the ethics of sustainability and ecological integrity.

Ministers from Central African Republic, Ghana, Namibia, Togo, and Zimbabwe participated in the Tourism Ministers’ Roundtable. Everyone agreed that the benefits of tourism could be strengthened if African governments collaborated more closely with each other and the private sector over a number of issues, including connectivity, visas, branding, and packaging products. The importance of integrating local community into tourism programs was also stressed.

Inspired by the Japanese television cooking show, Iron Chef, ATA held the first “ATA Culinary Experience.” Delegates enjoyed a luncheon prepared by culinary students from the Bulawayo School of Hospitality and Tourism Studies and chefs from Victoria Falls hotels. Visiting chefs from the USA, Chef Pierre Thiam, Senegalese cookbook author, Yolele!, and Eric Simeon, E&E Grill House Executive Chef, judged the competition, along with Ambassador Ray; Dr. Nancy Scanlon of Florida International University; Chef Christopher Gonzo, Chief Executive of the Zimbabwean Culinary Association; and Chef Johnson, Chief Technical Coordinator of ZTA.

Sessions on social media strategies with RS Social and the role of film in marketing destinations with “Thinking Forward Media” provided participants with practical tools for more effective media relations and marketing. An Expedia representative discussed the importance of bringing Africa's products to market through social media, mobile technology, and the Internet. A Matador Network representative discussed how to leverage content from dozens of partners to create a unified strategy for promoting your destination on the Web. Group IST also presented on the pros and cons of volun-tourism.

Delegates explored several new tourism topics at the congress, including “Women’s Engagement in Africa’s Tourism Industry,” which brought together representatives from Affluent Hospitality Group, Amalinda Collection, United Nations World Tourism Organization, and ZTA to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing women in the tourism industry today.

Leading travel trade and mainstream media representatives explored the relationships between tourism and the media at one of the sessions. Participants spoke about how to develop more effective media relations and how to move travel news to the front pages. The participants spoke about how the negative and the positive play a role in creating perceptions of Africa and stressed the potential role of the media in communicating tourism’s contribution to development and achieving political stability.

At Zimbabwe Culture Night, ATA announced the recipients of ATA’s annual awards. The recipients of the Outstanding Service to the Association awards were Hon. Mzembi (MP), Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry of Zimbabwe; Karikoga Kaseke; Chief Executive of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA); Tesa Chikaponya, Executive Director of Destination Marketing at ZTA; and Evelyn Chidyausiku, US Representative of ZTA. Robert Brunner, Vice President of the Americas for Arik Air International Ltd. received the Outstanding Leadership Award; and Dr. Yohannes Zeleke, President of the ATA Mid-Atlantic Chapter, received the ATA Founder’s Award. Chef Pierre Thiam and Chef Eric Simeon received the Development of Responsible Tourism in Africa awards and ATA outgoing President, Hon. Fatou Mas Jobe-Njie, Minister of Tourism and Culture of The Gambia, received the Promotion of Responsible Tourism to Africa Award. Finally, Andrea Papitto, Vice President of Thinking Forward Media, received the Young Professionals Leadership award.

SHOWCASING DESTINATION ZIMBABWE
As soon as they arrived in Victoria Falls, delegates enjoyed a tour of Victoria Falls, one of the world’s seven wonders. Many also participated in activities around the falls, including bungee jumping, gorge swing and ziplining over the Zambezi, lion and elephant encounters, and helicopter rides and safaris in Zimbabwe and Botswana during the congress.

On the first host-country day, ATA delegates visited a community-based tourism project in Mpisi Village, where they enjoyed local cuisine, traditional music, and dance. En route to the village, delegates participated in the annual ATA tree planting ceremony to offset the carbon footprint of the congress.
The Zambia Tourist Board co-sponsored the second host-country day. Delegates crossed the Zambezi River into Livingstone for lunch and cultural entertainment. They also visited several hotel properties, including the Chrismar and Royal Livingstone hotels, and toured the Royal Livingstone Express, a luxury rail experience. The day wrapped up in Zimbabwe with a sunset river cruise on the Zambezi.

During the congress, delegates also enjoyed two special evening events. Sponsored by Rainbow Tourism Group, the first was a cocktail reception with live music and food at the A'Zambezi River Lodge. The next was held at The Boma Restaurant at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, hosted by Africa Albida Tourism. ATA delegates also celebrated with over one thousand music fans at an outdoor concert with one of Zimbabwe's most revered musicians, Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi.

ATA’s young professionals hosted the third annual "Celebrate Africa Social Night,” a time for the delegates to enjoy Zimbabwean music, cuisine, and dancing and culture. The night began with a traditional braai dinner in the garden of The Kingdom Hotel, followed by dancing at The Wild Thing Action Bar. At a press conference during the congress, Karikoga Kaseke, Chief Executive of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), announced that Zimbabwe will form an ATA Young Professionals chapter to “…advance the interests of our young professionals in the industry.”

CONGRESS SPONSORS
South African Airways, Presenting Sponsor and Official Airline of the 2012 ATA World Congress, organized special discounts for delegates attending the Congress. Arik Air served as Official Media Carrier of the World Congress. Media sponsors included Afrique Expansion, eTurboNews, RS Social, and Travel World News.

ATA, in partnership with Arik Air and ZTA, organized a diverse media delegation, including representatives from Africa.com, Afrique Expansion, Bloomberg Business, Essence Magazine, Jax Fax, Matador Network, Network Journal, Ogo Sow Communications, RS Social, Travel World News, and VOA News. ETurboNews also covered the event.

Most delegates stayed at the official congress venue in Victoria Falls, Elephant Hills Resort, along with Adventure Zone Lodge, The Kingdom Hotel, Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Victoria Falls Hotel, Victoria Falls Rainbow Hotel, and the A’Zambezi River Lodge.

ATA is a member of the International Council of Tourism Partners [1] (ICTP), a new and fast-growing grassroots travel and tourism coalition of global destinations committed to quality service and green growth.

Blackout Aborts Flights' Landing in Abuja

By Laide Akinboade and Daniel Eteghe, 10 June 2012

Barely one week after Nigeria was thrown into mourning following the crash of a Dana aircraft in Lagos, lives of passengers and crew on board at least four aircraft were put at risk, on Friday, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, the nation's capital.

A Blackout at the airport frustrated their landing, forcing the flights to be diverted to the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

The incident caused anxious moments especially among those at the NAIA awaiting the arrival of the passengers in the flights.

The Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA) blamed the blackout on repairs being carried out on the airport runway, saying the situation compelled the closure of the airport to air traffic between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. The closure, according to NAMA was communicated to airlines.

But Sunday Vanguard could not reach affected airlines to confirm the NAMA's claim. This came just as the Federal Government said it will audit airlines in the country and review their operations.
The flights affected by the blackout at the NAIA in the Friday incident, according to aviation sources, were operated by Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways, all foreign airlines and Arik, a local operator.
Sunday Vanguard learnt that the Lufthansa flight was operated from Malabo while the Arik flight came in from Port-Harcourt.

The Arik flight reportedly arrived in Abuja around 6.30 p.m. but had to be diverted to the former federal capital when the runway flights failed to work owing to the blackout.
The diversion of the flights left several passengers waiting to board them stranded at the Abuja airport, and consequently accommodated in the federal capital by the airlines.

Blaming the blackout on repair works at the NAIA, NAMA officials told Sunday Vanguard, yesterday, that they passed a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) to all airlines informing them of the development. According to them, the repairs on a segment of the runway were to begin 7 February and end June 30.
With the NOTAM in place, they claimed, it was expected that flights operating in and outside of the Abuja airport will be restricted as it would be closed from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.daily.

"The closure according to the NOTAM would allow for the apron expansion work and upgrading of the approach lighting system on runway 04/22 from Cat 1 to Cat 11 in accordance with the ICAO runway lighting system . The NOTAM advised pilots to adhere strictly to air traffic controllers' advice ,that will be in place till June 30, 2012", one of the officials said.

Aviation experts told Sunday Vanguard, yesterday, they were aghast about the development, especially coming at a time Nigeria had just witnessed an air crash that claimed scores of lives.
They were unanimous in their opinion that the nation was lucky that none of the diverted airplanes was on emergency to warrant that it had to land at all costs at the NAIA.

"It would have just been as bad that we could not stop another air crash had any of the planes involved in the diversion been caught in an emergency and became inevitable to land at the Abuja airport. We would have had another crash in a week that would have been clearly avoidable. There is no reason why there should be blackout in any airport for five minutes not to talk of being prolonged to warrant aircraft being diverted to another airport almost one hour away," one of the experts said.

FG to audit airlines


Meanwhile, the Federal Government plans to audit airlines in the country and review their operations.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, disclosed this at a gathering of businessmen during a town hall meeting in Kano.
Okonjo-Iweala said: "In order to streamline their operations, appropriate measures would soon be put in place to ensure safe and efficient operation of the airlines". According to her, a committee has been set up to carry out the audit.

She said that machinery had also been put in motion to support the aviation sector, adding that government's intervention was to guarantee air safety.

Air Nigeria, grounded for safety checks after Dana crash

By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, June 13, 1:50 PM

LAGOS, Nigeria — Regulators grounded Air Nigeria for safety checks Wednesday, while the company’s top executive claimed instead that he had stopped flights from the country’s second-largest airline to “reorganize” after its engineers held a sporadic strike.

The halting of Air Nigeria flights — and the confusion surrounding it — offers a worrying portrait about the state of aviation in Africa’s most populous nation after another airline crashed a passenger jet on June 3, killing all 153 people on board and others on the ground.

While officials continue to investigate the cause of that Dana Air crash in Lagos, other airlines continue to fly in Nigeria with older planes and far more questionable financing. And despite the fact that Nigeria now has the top U.S. aviation rating, passengers remain hesitant about flying in the wake of the crash.
Harold Demuren, the director-general of Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority, said Wednesday that Air Nigeria would be able to resume operations after investigators concluded a series of safety checks on the airline’s planes. He said the checks were necessary after engineers attached to the private air carrier had been on strike and had not attended to the company’s fleet of 11 aircraft, mostly Boeing 737s.
Demuren said those checks could be finished within a day.

At a news conference, Air Nigeria chairman Jimoh Ibrahim denied that his airline had been grounded, waving around a photocopied letter he said came from the aviation authority on Tuesday allowing the carrier to operate. He did not explain why Demuren said his airline had been grounded.
“We are not grounded by anybody, but we decided not to fly today because we just felt that we should reorganize and create particular awareness because we’re coming out of (a) strike,” Ibrahim said. He said flights should resume Thursday.

Yet financial troubles have trailed Air Nigeria, a one-time darling of the country when billionaire Richard Branson helped create it as Virgin Nigeria in 2005. Branson pulled out of the airline and in 2010, Ibrahim took it over and renamed it.

Ibrahim, who also directs a major hotel chain, an insurance firm and an oil company, has strong ties to the country’s political elite, as do many in business in the nation. But the engineers’ strike saw workers claiming the company’s finances stopped it from properly servicing its fleet and a top former company official also recently referred to airline’s aircraft as “flying coffins” in local media reports.

Ibrahim told reporters on Wednesday that the airline wants to expand aggressively internationally, purchase more long-range aircraft and hopes to fly to Rome and Paris in the future. The airline made a major announcement in May in a leading national newspaper, saying it would buy four Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplanes for $887 million through a loan with the U.S. Export-Import Bank.

However, officials at both Boeing and the bank later told The Associated Press there was no deal. Ibrahim himself shied away when asked Wednesday about the alleged purchases, saying the airline continued to look at Airbus and Boeing aircraft for its expansion plans.

Investigators, meanwhile, were still trying to figure out why an MD-83 operated by Dana Air crashed into a Lagos neighborhood on June 3 while flying from the Nigerian capital of Abuja. Its pilots radioed in just before the crash to say both engines had failed. Aviation authorities have halted Dana Air flights for the time being.

Since the crash, civil aviation authorities in Nigeria have come under increasing political and public pressure in a nation with a long history of major aviation disasters. Halting flights and rechecking aircraft could calm nerves but the civil aviation authority still remains understaffed and underequipped.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim insisted that his airline met international requirements to fly to London and said he welcomed the scrutiny of the public.
“We’ve never had any crash and we will never crash,” Ibrahim said.
___
Online:
Air Nigeria: http://myairnigeria.com
___
Jon Gambrell can be reached at http://twitter.com/jongambrellap .
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.